Average Temperature in Finland Rises by More Than Two Degrees with Climate Change

Climate change is continuing to impact areas across the globe. Now, scientists have found that the country of Finland has experienced an average temperature increase of two degrees. The new findings could have major implications for the northern country in the future.

Finland is located between the Atlantic Ocean and the continental Eurasia. This causes a huge variability in the country's weather. Yet as temperatures warm across the globe, scientists wanted to see whether the same was true of this northern country. That's why the researchers used data produced by Finnish weather stations across the country and from neighboring countries.

The researchers found that the average annual temperature has risen in two phases. The first was from the beginning of the observation period to the late 1930s and the second was from the late 1960s to present. In fact, the rise in temperature has ranged between .2 and .4 degrees per decade. However, between the late 1930s and late 1960s, the temperatures remained steady.

"The stop in the temperature rise can be explained by several factors, including long-term changes in solar activity and post-World War II growth of human-derived aerosols in the atmosphere," said Santtu Mikkonen, one of the researchers, in a news release. "When looking at recent years' observations from Finland, it seems that the temperature rising is not slowing down."

The largest temperature rise has coincided with November, December and January. There have also be observations of Finnish trees beginning to blossom earlier.  This, in particular, shows how the country is changing as temperatures warm.

The findings reveal a bit more about Finland's climate. This, in particular, reveals that temperatures are warming, and could also mean that other countries nearby are experiencing similar changes.

The findings are published in the journal Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment.

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